Australia and Brumbies centre Pat McCabe will be sidelined until mid-February with a neck injury.

The Canberra Times reports that McCabe will return to Australia this week. McCabe sustained a neck injury in a recent Test against France and scans have revealed that he has a C1 fracture. Mitch Inman is set to replace McCabe in the Wallabies squad.

While the Brumbies medical staff still needs to assess the extent of the damage, initial reports suggest that McCabe will only start training in mid-February.

Meanwhile, David Pocock is expected to make his long-awaited return from injury in this Saturday’s Test against Italy.